Blizzard Issues Big Diablo III Patch

Blizzard has patched Diablo III to version 1.0.3, which makes adjustments that should affect all users in noticeable ways, but seems mostly designed for high level players.If you’re creating a new character, leveling up your Jeweler and Blacksmith artisans will be far cheaper after 1.0.3, as Blizzard has dramatically reduced the gold cost for ranking up artisan levels, as well as reduced the crafting costs for everything from levels 1 to 59. A number of class changes have also been implemented, including giving Monks the ability to use spears and two-handed swords and maces along with multiple skill rune adjustments.So while lower level players will have more gold available because less will be spent at the Jeweler and Blacksmith, higher level players will find more significant changes. Blizzard has adjusted item drop rates so the most powerful items in the game, item level 63, have a chance of dropping in Act I of Inferno setting. This is significant because it reduces the need to go to the Auction House to buy more powerful items in order to progress through the most challenging setting of Diablo III.Alongside the adjusted item drop rates, Blizzard has lowered the damage output of monsters in Act II, III and IV, so it should be easier to progress through Inferno without having to substantially gear up before starting a new Act. If you have bonuses to attack speed on your gear, however, progress might not be as easy, because Blizzard reduced the AS values on weapons and armor by 50 percent.It seems Blizzard also wants to encourage players in Inferno to continue killing champion and rare packs of monsters after building a five-stack of Nephalem Valor, as they’ll drop an additional guaranteed rare item. One stack of Nephalem Valor is awarded after reaching level 60 for every pack of rare monsters killed, and stacks up to five times, boosting magic and gold find percentages. It lasts for 30 minutes and refreshes with every additional champion or rare kill, and will stay active as long as you don’t switch your skill build, rewarding you for continuing to sweep dungeons and take on challenging foes. In order to keep you more focused on fighting monsters, magic find bonuses won’t apply when smashing open vases and barrels and overturning corpses.Bosses should also be more challenging after the patch, as Blizzard has listed enrage timers for bosses like Belial and Zoltan Kulle, as well as modified existing behavior, such as Izual’s frozen bombs and giving Siegebreaker a reflect damage affix on Inferno.Check out the full patch notes to see all the changes, including "Weapon racks will no longer drop weapons 100% of the time".